Category Archives: culture

I’m late hearing about this terrible and blatantly racist article. It’s written as a response to recent articles about “the talk” that black parents have with their kids, especially Black Boys, in light of the Trayvon Martin murder. Clutch summed it up very well…

“National Review’s John Derbyshire says there is a talk that non-black Americans have with their children about race too. Derbyshire wrote about this in his post The Talk: Non-Black Version where he describes the racist views that he has instilled in his own children.

The outrageous content of his blog has many calling for him to be fired.

Here are 9 points he shares that every White parent should tell their children:

Avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally.

Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods.

If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date (neglect of that one got me the closest I have ever gotten to death by gunshot).

Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks.

If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.

Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.

Before voting for a black politician, scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white.

Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.

If accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.”

In my opinion, the most horrible point he makes in the article is…

(11) The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites. The least intelligent ten percent of whites have IQs below 81; forty percent of blacks have IQs that low. Only one black in six is more intelligent than the average white; five whites out of six are more intelligent than the average black. These differences show in every test of general cognitive ability that anyone, of any race or nationality, has yet been able to devise. They are reflected in countless everyday situations. “Life is an IQ test.”

It’s ridiculous. To talk about IQs in this way makes him sound like a 1920s eugenicist. It’s Asinine. Big word for a black person. Yeah, I know. If I was crazy enough to really entertain some hard facts and numbers from this writer, they would have tp come paired with empirical research on the impact of institutional racism, failing schools, low expectations, etc. He states this point like it’s a fact. For the link “in every test” he links to his own website like he is a scholar on the subject. The URL has Opinion in the string (http://www.johnderbyshire.com/Opinions/HumanSciences/upennlaw.html#gaps) because it’s just that. His personal racist opinion. No one should take this writer seriously.

Anyway, this is the most racist thing I’ve seen…today.

Note: “Derbyshire’s editor at the conservative publication National Review, Rich Lowry, described the piece as “appalling.”[17] On April 7, Lowry announced that Derbyshire had been dismissed from National Review: “We never would have published it, but the main reason that people noticed it is that it is by a National Review writer. Derb is effectively using our name to get more oxygen for views with which we’d never associate ourselves otherwise. So there has to be a parting of the ways.”[18]” – source

“Reverse psychology is often used on children due to their high tendency to respond with reactance, a desire to restore threatened freedom of action. Some parents feel that the best strategy is sometimes “reverse psychology”: telling children to stay in the house when you really want them to choose to go outside and play’.” – Wikipedia

Now let start by saying that I haven’t had much to say about the murder of Trayvon Martin. People have asked me to blog about it and I’ve said no. I really think that this tragedy is not going to end well at all. I think that due to the Stand Your Ground law in Florida that George Zimmerman has a good chance of getting off Scott free. That really disturbs me. So much so that I really haven’t wanted to deal with the fact that the whole situation screams Pre-Civil Right era America. An America that I can’t stand.

For me, the solution is not simply justice for Trayvon and his family. The answer is that this law and others like it are changed so that they can’t be used as a defense for anyone (regardless of color or creed) who shoots and kills an unarmed person. Justice in this situation not going to resolve institutionalized racism in America, so I’m not looking for that. Yes, there was profiling…but our legal system makes that hard to prove without someone shouting “I’ll kill you, N-word” before they shoot into a crowd of witnesses.

That brings me to what I “kinda” agree with Ann Coulter on. Laws like Stand Your Ground should be repealed and I think that I know how that can happen. Black people may have to model the behavior that we want to see stopped.

Coulter: We are going to have a trial, but I was just making the point that if what [MSNBC] is claiming happened — that George Zimmerman stalked this young black child just because he was black, shot him dead in cold blood — if that’s the case, well, the reaction isn’t the conclusion they’re coming to on the left which is oh, we need more gun control. Gun control laws have been used historically, they were — they were to keep guns out of the hands of blacks and it was the Republican Party and the NRA that has always supported arming blacks in order to protect themselves from the democratic Ku Klux Klan.

O’Reilly: All right so what you’re saying is if MSNBC and NBC News’s hypothesis is true that this was a racially biased driven murder, that all African-Americans should take that as a warning sign and arm themselves against that happening to them, therefore, they should support the NRA. They should support the law that gives, allows you to fight back if threatened, and they should arm themselves. That’s what you’re saying?

Here’s what I think: Black people should educate themselves about gun ownership and join the NRA. I’m not saying that African Americans should buy a gun and arm themselves. You can if you want to and you are eligible in your state, of course, but really I’m against gun ownership in most cases. However, I do think that the simple act of thousands of African Americans joining the National Rifle Association would alarm a LOT of people. It would give the impression that Blacks are arming themselves in mass. I think that the ripple effect would be more strict gun laws across the country. Thus, laws like Stand Your Ground would not be acceptable because a Black guy who would normally be locked up for shooting someone could go free. Now, you know we can’t have that America. We’re just about to privatize the prisons and we don’t want criminals going free, right.

I’m not really serious, but you know I’m right. If you know anything about the Black Pathers and their use of guns, you know I’m right. They openly displayed shotguns and encouraged members to carry weapons to protect themselves. They were pioneers in the pro-gun movement. You think that didn’t have anything to do with their demise?

“Opposition to gun control was what drove the black militants to visit the California capitol with loaded weapons in hand. The Black Panther Party had been formed six months earlier, in Oakland, by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Like many young African Americans, Newton and Seale were frustrated with the failed promise of the civil-rights movement. Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were legal landmarks, but they had yet to deliver equal opportunity. In Newton and Seale’s view, the only tangible outcome of the civil-rights movement had been more violence and oppression, much of it committed by the very entity meant to protect and serve the public: the police.

Inspired by the teachings of Malcolm X, Newton and Seale decided to fight back. Before he was assassinated in 1965, Malcolm X had preached against Martin Luther King Jr.’s brand of nonviolent resistance. Because the government was “either unable or unwilling to protect the lives and property” of blacks, he said, they had to defend themselves “by whatever means necessary.” Malcolm X illustrated the idea for Ebony magazine by posing for photographs in suit and tie, peering out a window with an M-1 carbine semiautomatic in hand. Malcolm X and the Panthers described their right to use guns in self-defense in constitutional terms. “Article number two of the constitutional amendments,” Malcolm X argued, “provides you and me the right to own a rifle or a shotgun.”

Guns became central to the Panthers’ identity, as they taught their early recruits that “the gun is the only thing that will free us—gain us our liberation.” They bought some of their first guns with earnings from selling copies of Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book to students at the University of California at Berkeley. In time, the Panther arsenal included machine guns; an assortment of rifles, handguns, explosives, and grenade launchers; and “boxes and boxes of ammunition,” recalled Elaine Brown, one of the party’s first female members, in her 1992 memoir. Some of this matériel came from the federal government: one member claimed he had connections at Camp Pendleton, in Southern California, who would sell the Panthers anything for the right price. One Panther bragged that, if they wanted, they could have bought an M48 tank and driven it right up the freeway. – Article in The Atlantic | Adam Winkler

Am I kidding? I’m not totally serious, but you see my point. Sometimes humor is good, because you have to laugh to keep from crying. Sometime you have to show people their actions by modeling them back before they truly see how much they are in error.

IF you are shocked at the success of “Think Like a Man“, I have one word for you. “Boomerang“.

1992 was the year and Boomerang was THE movie. I love that movie. I wish they would get the band back together and make a sequel! Someone please tell Reginald Hudlin that there is money in the air. And tell Eddie Murphy too…his last few movies have been terrible to so-so.

Wikipedia: Released in the United States on July 1, 1992, Boomerang received mixed reviews from film critics. Nevertheless, the film was a commercial success, ranking as the 18th highest grossing film in North America that year. Boomerang earned over $131 million worldwide during its theatrical run.

There hasn’t been a black relationship movie with that kind of star power behind it in a minute. Hallie Berry, Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Martin Lawrence, Eartha Kitt…wow. If you can think of another movie with a majority black cast that can compare, please comment below.

In terms of talent, I’m comparing the 2 casts and overall star power moment in time to moment in time. The cast of “Boomerang” went on to do a lot of great acting and many were young and full of potential at the time. I don’t think this is a total apples to apples comparison talent and acting wise. That being said, I can see many parallels.

The other star power involved is that of Steve Harvey. Harvey is said to have an audience of about 6 million listeners in more than 60 markets. With that following and Oprah’s blessing of the book this movie is based on…I’m not surprised that the movie reached #1 and made 33 million.

Sidenote: Yes, yes, I know who Tyler Perry is, but I don’t put his movies in the same category. Not taking anything away from his success, I think of him as a phenomenal businessman who is very focused on black audiences. I don’t think he’s trying to put out mainstream movies for mainstream success. He’s doing what has worked for him for years, just on a huge scale due to his success.

I’d like to know what my readers think about this. Should Black People be drawn to this movement? Should we consider Black unemployment rates and how many Blacks were affected by the housing crisis (Ponzi Scheme/Gambling in my opinion.) as motivation? Here are a few recent takes on it.

Bonus Question: Is it just me or does the lack of Tea Party involvement or even a thumbs-up or two in the direction of the protesters make it seem even more as if they are the Party of the Rich and of Tax Loopholes? Oh my bad “Job Creators”. LOL! Don’t you love it when people try to reclaim and rename what is and has always been. No no, not slave owners…”Antebellum Job Creators”. Sad.

Um…so a black man’s uncivilized self = Questlove. AKA. a guy with a big afro and facial hair? Really, Nivea? I read about this on Tumblr and was cracking up at people noting that the lotion company’s name sounds like the name of an Atlanta stripper. LOL

Apparently, Questlove thought that was some bulls*** and took to Facebook and Twitter about it.

What do you guys think?

(I’m going to go looking for a Caucasian version with a guy with long shaggy hair and a beard. Wish me luck.)

UPDATE: Nivea agrees with me.

The company apologized on Facebook: “Thank you for caring enough to give us your feedback about the recent “Re-civilized” NIVEA FOR MEN ad. This ad was inappropriate and offensive. It was never our intention to offend anyone, and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of our company.” (source: Clutch/MTV)

Good things that could happen if tomorrow is the day God raptures christians away to heaven.

1. I go to heaven. However, I don’t know if the Christianity of Jesus’s time is still the Christianity of today. For all I know only 500 or less present day humans are worthy. Maybe only people who don’t watch TV are worthy. eh.

2. Less demand for gas = lower gas prices.

3. Shorter lines

4. Lots of available jobs – The show must go on. However, I’m not going to work anymore if this happens and I’m “left behind”. I’m going to become a street prophet. Sackcloth and ashes all the way. I’ll need to atone.

5. There is a God.

Not so good things that could happen if May 21st is the day God raptures christians away to heaven.

1. Everyone else has to live in hell on earth with the anti-christ for like…7 years or so.

2. Looting.

3. Members of all other faiths and atheists will be pissed.

4. My mom is definitely on the list. I’ll be sad to see her go, but I will actually know she’s in a better place. (This is only if I don’t make it. If I make it, then we’ll be together for eternity.)

5. Housing market will really tank – Squatters rights!! LOL

6. The person who wins the 2012 election may be the anti-christ. Just sayin.

Swirl or Twist. That’s what most ice cream, frozen custard, or frozen yogurt places call it when your vanilla and chocolate frozen goodness is twirled together in harmony. Yummy.

That isn’t Gentrification. It displaces people and cultures. Fault should not be laid on the persons staking their claim in areas previous devoid of Caucasian population. Really, it’s just politics and finance.

“I rarely see an African American face enjoying the coffee culture,” Hello, Negro wrote shortly after the shop’s opening. “Maybe the long term residents aren’t into Rishi Tea. Maybe the crackheads hanging out in the LeDroit Park Playground across the street are too amazed at the sight of this former-corner store turned soho style coffee establishment to inquire about the fine pastries. The juxtapositioning is striking. The locals call it LeDroit, they call it ‘Bloomingdale.’”

Honestly, gentrification in Washington, DC as I’ve seen in the last 11 years has been very entertaining to watch. From avid runners out at the crack of dawn avoiding crack heads (3 months ago, I saw this white guy jogging down Michigan Ave NE barefoot. No lie. Crazy.) to white women walking home from the metro late at night in neighborhoods I wouldn’t roller skate through, there is a lot to observe. I think of it as my own little reality tv show featuring short pieces on gentrification. We’ll at least there are grocery stores, improved metro stations, and improved housing (that most can’t afford) where there were none.

Personal Opinion is not fact. Asking men about their preferences when it comes to women and attaching some pseudoscience to it doesn’t make your research air tight. I need someone to explain the concept of opinion polls to the blogger over at Psychology Today who had the audacity to try to pass his bias off as science. The title of the blog post I’m talking about is “Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women? Why black women, but not black men?”. Psychology Today has since taken the post down, but you can read it here. You can read more about this here as well.

Here’s an excerpt:

What accounts for the markedly lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women? Black women are on average much heavier than nonblack women. The mean body-mass index (BMI) at Wave III is 28.5 among black women and 26.1 among nonblack women. (Black and nonblack men do not differ in BMI: 27.0 vs. 26.9.) However, this is not the reason black women are less physically attractive than nonblack women. Black women have lower average level of physical attractiveness net of BMI. Nor can the race difference in intelligence (and the positive association between intelligence and physical attractiveness) account for the race difference in physical attractiveness among women. Black women are still less physically attractive than nonblack women net of BMI and intelligence. Net of intelligence, black men are significantly more physically attractive than nonblack men.

There are many biological and genetic differences between the races. However, such race differences usually exist in equal measure for both men and women. For example, because they have existed much longer in human evolutionary history, Africans have more mutations in their genomes than other races. And the mutation loads significantly decrease physical attractiveness (because physical attractiveness is a measure of genetic and developmental health). But since both black women and black men have higher mutation loads, it cannot explain why only black women are less physically attractive, while black men are, if anything, more attractive.

The only thing I can think of that might potentially explain the lower average level of physical attractiveness among black women is testosterone. Africans on average have higher levels of testosterone than other races, and testosterone, being an androgen (male hormone), affects the physical attractiveness of men and women differently. Men with higher levels of testosterone have more masculine features and are therefore more physically attractive. In contrast, women with higher levels of testosterone also have more masculine features and are therefore less physically attractive. The race differences in the level of testosterone can therefore potentially explain why black women are less physically attractive than women of other races, while (net of intelligence) black men are more physically attractive than men of other races.

Personally, I’m outraged about this. Not surprised, but outraged. Black women birth black babies and further the black race. Thus, “they” must attack, berate, and abuse us in the media or otherwise. Don’t believe me? Google “Michelle Obama”.

There is also a long history of psychology research focusing on the suggested inferiority of Black people. Has history taught us nothing? It has taught us to know racist and eugenic talk from the psychological community a mile a way.

To the author:
You might as well use “negroid” or “ape-like” in your piece, Mr. Kanazawa. “The only thing I can think of…”, you say?? That sounds like you are trying to pass off your opinions as fact. Beauty has always been in the eye of the beholder. Just say that you don’t find black women attractive and that your opinion is shared by some other men. This is America and we have the right to voice or opinions. We all know what color Barbie is and that the European standard of beauty is the STANDARD. You as an Asian man know the struggles that Asian women go through trying to conform. As a person of color, you should realize how people of color in America see themselves differently than how those outside of their race see them.

Black women are not less attractive, as your title states. Opinion is just opinion. Men just like what they like. As an old song said, “If you don’t like it, don’t knock it. Somebody else might wanna rock it.”

Just feeling nostalgic today. How many of you used to rock medallions like these in the 80s? Don’t lie. You had one…with big fat wooden beads on it too. I call it the “Pre-Bling Black Consciousness Revival Period”. My mom used to make them and sell them at local events. Takes me back. Not Crafty? You can buy one on etsy.